Where do you get

[Badhammer]

leather for stropping? I'd like to start stropping my blades but don't have any old belts at the moment. Should I just buy a cheap leather belt or maybe stop by a shoe or saddle/tack repair shop and buy a peice of leather? What's best to use on the strop as far as an abrasive/polish? TIA

 

[nc527]

You can sometimes get leather scraps from shoe and saddle shops for free, or a small fee. If not, then go to goodwill and buy a 2 dollar belt. Also, go to harbor freight or sears, and pick up a tube of green polishing compound, and 1 tube of black compound. IMO the best leather is from somewhere like tandy leather.

 

[Badhammer]

Thank you. Is there a particular minimum thickness of leather required? I was thinking I might glue it to a piece of wood or something to raise the leather up off the work surface, sort of like some mounted whet stones you see but I've read a few posts where nothing more than a large paint stirrer is used.

 

[nc527]

I dont think there is a min thickness, but dont get the thinnest they have.

 

[Jason B.]

I dont think there is a min thickness, but dont get the thinnest they have.

Thin is what you want in stropping leather, it has less give and is less prone to rolling the edge. for leather look here http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004242/8620/Leather-For-HoneSlip-Makers.aspx

 

[Splat]

You may be able to get really stiff leather from your local shoe repair man. I got some nice stiff leather to make a strop for my Edgepro from my shoe guy. Thin is good, especially for straight non-convexed edges, but not extremely thin because it won't last long.

 

[Hard H2O]

I get mine from Tandy. My local Tandy has boxes of scrap pretty cheap.